Means for connecting the members of hay-racks.



No. 799,980. 'PATBNTED SEPT. 19, 1905. H. L. FERRIS.

MEANS FOR GDNNEGTING THE MEMBERS OF HAY RACKS.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 20, 1905.

&\\\\\\\\ W/fi7/ZJ5ZS 6 KW-Qeg W UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HENRY L. FERRIS, OF HARVARD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO HUNT, HELM, FERRIS & COMPANY, OF HARVARD, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 19, 1905.

Application filed January 20, 1905. Serial No. $12,032.

To (all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, HENRY L. FERRIS, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Harvard, in the county of McHenry and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Means for Connecting the Members of Hay-Racks, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to certain new and useful improvements in means for connecting the members of hay-racks; and its object is to produce a device of this class which shall have certain advantages which will appear more fully and at large in the course of this specification.

To this end my invention consists in certain novel features which are shown in the accompanying drawings as embodied in my preferred form of construction.

In the aforesaid drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of a structure embodying my improved device. Fig. 2 is aperspective view of the intermediate plate member which engages two of the beams to be joined. Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the member in an inverted position. Fig. 4 is a central longitudinal section in the line 4 4 of Fig. 5. Fig. 5 is a side elevation of the structure illustrated in Fig. 1.

Referring to the drawings, A is a lower cross-beam, B is a longitudinal stringer, and

O is an upper cross-beam. The purpose of my improved device is to join these three members by a simple cheap device which will not only unite the parts firmly together, but will tend also to hold the beams in rectangular relation. For this purpose an intermediate plate member D is provided, the form of which is clearly illustrated. From the drawings it will be seen that this member consists of a flat plate D, having on its upper face parallel ribs (Z, adapted to embrace the upper cross-beam O, and on its lower face similar ribs d, adapted to embrace the stringer B, the said ribs (Z andd being arranged at right angles to each other. The square space determined by the crossing-lines of the two pairs of ribs is entirely cut away to form an opening lying between the beam O and the stringer B, so that the two members bear only against the edges of the plate D and are thereby spaced apart, leaving a hollow between their adjacent edges which is open to the circulation of air.

The edges of the member between the ribs Z are provided with two downwardly-extending yokes d adapted to be engaged by hooks E, which pass through the beam A and are held in place by nuts 6. The edges of the member D between the downwardly-projecting flanges are likewise provided with upwardly-extending yokes d which in the preferred form of construction are square to receive and hold against rotation nuts f, which are engaged by bolts F, passing through a strap f on the top of the cross-beam O.

From the above description it will be seen that the upper cross-beam O can be removed by unscrewing the bolts F and can be very readily replaced in position, if desired.

I realize that considerable variation is possible in the details of this construction without departing from the spirit of the invention, and I therefore do not intend to limit myself to the specific form herein shown and described.

I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a device of the class described, an intermediate connecting member comprising a plate adapted to separate the members to be united, and having ribs or flanges to form oppositely-facing and rectangularly-disposed channels, the material of the plate at the intersection of the members to be united being cut away.

2. In a device of the class described, an intermediate connecting member comprising a plate adapted to separate the members to be united, and having ribs or flanges to form oppositely-facing and rectangularly-disposed. channels, the material of the plate at the intersection of the members to be united being cut away, and two pairs of yokes connecting the channels, the two pairs being on opposite sides of the plate and extending at right angles to each other.

3. The combination with a lower transverse member, a longitudinal stringer and an upper transverse member, of an intermediate plate member having its upper face in engagement with the upper transverse member and its lower face in engagement with the longitudinal stringer, a connecting device running from opposite sides of said intermediate plate member through the lower transverse member and on opposite sides of the longitudinal stringer and a connecting device extending from opposite sides of the intermediate plate member over the upper transverse member.

4:. In a device of the class described, the combination with a lower transverse member, a longitudinal stringer and an upper transverse member, of an intermediate plate member cast with ribs or flanges to form oppositely-facingand rectangularly-disposed channels, one of which engages the longitudinal stringer and the other-of which engages the upper transverse member, the material of said intermediate plate member being cut away between the longitudinal stringer and the upper transverse member and two anchoring devices, one of which engages the intermedi ate plate member and the lower transverse member and the other of which engages the intermediate plate member and the upper transverse member.

5. In a device of the class described, the combination with a lower transverse member, a longitudinal stringer and an upper transverse member, of an intermediate plate member engaging the upper face of the longitudinal stringer and the lower face of the upper transverse member, means for anchoring said plate to the lower transverse member, upwardly-projecting squared yokes on the intermediate plate member, squared nuts nonrotatably fitting said yokes and bolts engaging the upper transverse member and entering said nuts.

In Witness whereof I have signed the above application for Letters Patent, at Harvard, in the county of McHenry and State of Illinois, this 16th day of January, A. D. 1905.

HENRY L. FERRIS.

Witnesses:

BLAKE B. BELL,

C. F. REYNOLDS. 

